when they made her laugh, though he could not understand why they
were laughable; they were quite serious matters with him. The lawyer's
experience taught him to read people's characters very shrewdly, and
as soon as he saw Cedric's mother he knew that the old Earl had made a
great mistake in thinking her a vulgar, mercenary woman. Mr. Havisham
had never been married, he had never even been in love, but he divined
that this pretty young creature with the sweet voice and sad eyes
had married Captain Errol only because she loved him with all her
affectionate heart, and that she had never once thought it an advantage
that he was an earl's son. And he saw he should have no trouble with
her, and he began to feel that perhaps little Lord Fauntleroy might not
be such a trial to his noble family, after all. The Captain had been a
handsome fellow, and the young mother was very pretty, and perhaps the
boy might be well enough to look at.

When he first told Mrs. Errol what he had come for, she turned very
pale.

"Oh!" she said; "will he have to be taken away from me? We love each
other so much! He is such a happiness to me! He is all I have. I have
tried to be a good mother to him." And her sweet young voice trembled,
and the tears rushed into her eyes. "You do not know what he has been to
me!" she said.

The lawyer cleared his throat.

"I am obliged to tell you," he said, "that the Earl of Dorincourt
is not--is not very friendly toward you. He is an old man, and his
prejudices are very strong. He has always especially disliked America
and Americans, and was very much enraged by his son's marriage. I am
sorry to be the bearer of so unpleasant a communication, but he is
very fixed in his determination not to see you. His plan is that Lord
Fauntleroy shall be educated under his own supervision; that he shall
live with him. The Earl is attached to Dorincourt Castle, and spends a
great deal of time there. He is a victim to inflammatory gout, and is
not fond of London. Lord Fauntleroy will, therefore, be likely to live
chiefly at Dorincourt. The Earl offers you as a home Court Lodge, which
is situated pleasantly, and is not very far from the castle. He also
offers you a suitable income. Lord Fauntleroy will be permitted to visit
you; the only stipulation is, that you shall not visit him or enter the
park gates. You see you will not be really separated from your son, and
I assure you, madam, the terms are not so harsh as--as they